I read Ms. V’s Hot Girl Summer and I really enjoyed it. This book follows Trinidad aka Ms. V who is a single mother to two teenage boys who is tired of being strung along by her current situationship. She is looking to just leave her responsibilities behind and have some fun where she decides to go to the Caribbean for Carnival. She meets Orlando who is a 25 year old man who had to grow up fast to take care of his family. He helps Ms. V with her boys in the sports department and has always kept his interactions with her respectful. Ms.V and Orlando go to the Carnival for some fun and sparks fly. I loved the Caribbean representation. I give this book a 3.5 but I had to round it up on here. I just didn’t like how Ms.V kept referencing Orlando as a little boy. I get that he was younger but he was very much grown.

Really enjoying this book so far. Coming back to update review. Ms. V is living up to being a hot girl.

Carnival is fast approaching in Trinidad (also coincidentally the name of a character in this book) so reading this book right now was just perfect timing. In Guyana it’s known as Mashramani and in Toronto there’s the classic Caribana during the summer months. It’s a celebration of culture, music, and the joy of the Caribbean. It’s the heat, the food, the dancing, time with friends, and the costumes - it’s effervescent.

I’ve been longing for a book to be set during Carnival because it offers such a great backdrop of fun and is often filled with budding romance. A.H. Cunningham takes advantage of that fully in this book. Hoping an Indo-Caribbean author takes a crack at it soon!

Giving this 3.5 but rounding up to 4 stars as there were some pacing issues for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC.

Reading an A.H Cunningham book always feels like coming home to me.

I absolutely loved Trinidad & Orlando’s story. A.H gave us grown and spicy — of course I’m here for it. This was a story of self discovery and second chances. Trinidad believed she needed to go down a certain path to lead a happy life for herself and her boys. But with the help of some meddling kids, a mini vacation and the younger man she couldn’t stop thinking about, Orlando, she was able to see a clearer path.

Orlando being a child that had to grow up too soon deeply resonated with me. I admired his dedication to do what was right and protect his family despite it being a heavy weight to carry on his own. I love the dynamic between him and Trinidad and that they were able to both teach and learn from one another.

I love how A.H Cunningham represents our Caribbean culture. It’s so rare to see characters with these origins. It’s truly a treat to read about food from home or see patois in traditional print.

Another phenomenal book!

I’ve been eager to get my (virtual) hands on this book ever since I first saw the cover—a stunning illustration of a beautiful Black woman with a blissful expression, dressed in a gorgeous carnival costume. The description hooked me even more because I’m a sucker for stories about dedicated single moms finding their groove again.
I dove into the book fully expecting to fall head over heels for the story, but that didn’t quite happen. Things started off strong, but when I reached the part about the “trick” Trinidad’s sons pulled to get her to connect with Orlando, the love train derailed. I can usually suspend disbelief enough to enjoy slightly far-fetched forced-proximity setups, but this one actually made me frown in real life. Thankfully, things got back on track, but in the end, I liked the book rather than loved it.
Overall, it’s an enjoyable story that just fell a little short of my (admittedly very high) expectations.

#MsVsHotGirlSummer
#NetGalley

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.